Ignition apparatus



June 14, 1932. H L, HARTZELL 1,863,306

IGNITION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 14, 1932. H.1.. H'ARTZELL 1,863,305

' IGNITION APPARATUS File d Jan. 5,, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIPatented June 14, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERMAN L. HARTZELL,OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 'IO DELCO-RELIYv CORPOBA- TION, 0FANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE IGNITION APPARATUSApplication filed January 5, 1931.

This invention relates to ignition apparatus for internal combustionengines and one of the objects of the invention is to provide means forobtaining satisfactory ignition through the speed range of the engineand particularly at high speed. This aim of the invention isaccomplished by means of a booster induction coil located in parallel tothe primary winding of the regular ignition coil. Normally the circuitto the booster induction coil is interrupted butis connected above apredetermined high speed. The circuit is closed by a speed responsiveswitch so that at the higher speed the booster ignition coil willoperate to boost the voltage in the primary winding of the regularignition coil, thereby increasing its energy.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ignition timer anddistributor unit embodying the speed responsive switch for controllingthe booster coil.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the presentinvention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an ignition timer embodying the presentinvention, the distributor head being removed for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 2 is a part of a wiring diagram illustrating the invention and isin part a fragmentary, vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of aportion of the speed responsive switch and is taken substantially on theline 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views of the speed responsive switch operatingmechanism showing the weights in outer and inner positions respectively.These figures are partly in section, the section being taken on the line4--4 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of the ignitionapparatus and is taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the speed responsive ignition controller and ispartly in section,

Serial NO. 506,693.

iih e sgction being taken on the line 6-6 of Referring to Fig. 2 theignition circuit embodying the present invention will first bedescribed. A storage battery 20 is connected by a switch 21 with a wire22 connected with a primary winding 23 of an ignition coil connectedwith terminal T23 in turn connected by a wire 24 with an ignitioncircuit breaker which comprises a leaf spring member 25 attached to acircuit breaker lever 26 and urging a rubbing block 27 toward anignition timer cam 28. The lever 26 carries a contact 29 engageable witha stationary contact 30 which is grounded. The contacts 29 and 30 areshunted by a condenser 31 one terminal of which is grounded. The shaftwhich drives the timer cam 28 also drives a distributor rotor having aconducting segment 32 adapted to connect a center contact 33 withcertain stationary contacts or distributor posts 34 arranged in acircular row and each connected with a spark plug 35 of the engine. Thecenter contact 33 is connected by a wire 33a with an ignition coilsecondary winding 36 which is grounded through ,connections with abattery as shown. An auxiliary or booster induction coil 40 is connectedat one end with wire 22 and at the other with a terminal T40 connectedby a wire 47 with a metallic contact bracket 41 carrying one con tact 42of a speed responsive switch, the other contact 43 being mounted on aleaf spring conductor 44 which is normally biased so as to separate thecontact 43 from the contact 42. The spring 44 is connected by a wire 48with wire 24. A non-conducting strip 45 is located against the bottom ofthe leaf spring conductor 44 to receive a plunger 46 to transmit motionfrom the plunger 46 to the leaf spring 44 while maintaining these partsinsulated "from each other. The contact bracket 41 and the leaf spring44 are mounted upon a plate 50 and insulated therefrom and from eachother. The plate 50 is supported within a housing 70 to be describedlater which provides a guide for the rod 46.

The speed responsive mechanism for operating the rod 46 and hence forcontrolling the switch in circuit with the coil 40, comprises arotatable weight supporting plate 51 which is driven in a manner to bedescribed. The plate 51 provides an annular flange 52 which provides abearing for a plate having two lever arms 53. the ends of which restupon ridges or projections provided by inclined planes 54 which areinclined in opposite directions with respect to a horizontal'line asviewed in Fig. 3. Each lever arm 53 cooperates with an arm 55 of aweight 56 pivoted upon a pin 57 which also serves to connect one end ofthe spring 58 with the plate 51 the other end of spring 58 beingconnected by a pin 59 with the lever arm 53. Normally the weights aremaintained in inner position due to the action of the spring 58 asshown-in Fig. 4. As the speed of the plate 51 increases above apredetermined speed. the weights 56 move outwardly into the positionshown in Fig. 3. thereby causing each lever arm 53 to move from a lowerposition upon the inclined planes 54 as shown in Fig. 4 to a higherposition upon the inclined planes as shown in Fig. 3. These movements ofthe lever arm members 53 cause the plate of which they are a part to beseparated from the plate 51. that is, to move upwardly as viewed in Fig.2 thereby causing upward motion to be transmitted through a thrustbearing 60 to a collar 6] having an arm 62 attached to the rod 46. Theinclination of the inclined planes 54 is such that when the weights 56move from the innermost position shown in Fig. 4 to an outermostposition shown in Fig. 3, the motion transmitted to the rod 46 will besufficient to move the movable contact 43 from a disengaged positioninto a position of engagement with the stationary contact 42.Consequently at a certain predetermined speed and above that speed thecircuit to the booster coil 40 will be complete, thus placing it inparallel with the primary 23 of the regular ignition coil. Consequently.when the contacts 29 and of the circuit breaker are separated at highspeeds, the sparking impulses generated are of greater magnitude thanwould be the case if the booster coil were not in circuit. The presentinvention therefore provides in combination with an ignition apparatus,which will produce satisfactory ignition at ordinary engine speed, anauxiliary device which will operate at higher speeds in order to enablethe production of satisfactory ignition at a time when the closingperiod of the ignition primary circuit would be too short for adequateenergization of the regular ignition coil. Since the booster coil isenergized in addition to the regular ignition coil, at these highspeeds, the cumulative effect of the energy of both coils is sufficientto produce satisfactory ignition.

I will now proceed to show how the centrifugal switch for controllingthe booster coil is particularly adapted for mounting in the housing ofan ignition timer and is structurally combined with other elements foundin the usual ignition timer using speed responsive means for controllingthe timing of the ignition. Referring to Figs. 2 and 5. the plate whichwas mentioned when describing Fig. 2 serves as a plate for supportingtwo circuit breakers, one of which has been shown diagran'nnatically inFig. 2 and is designated by reference characters corresponding to thosein Fig. 1. The ignition timer chosen to illustrate the use of thepresent invention is one which provides ignition for a sixteen cylinderengine. Hence the eight lobe cam 28 operates upon two circuit breakerlevers alternately in order to control alternately the generation ofsparking impulses in two separate ignition coils. The second circuitbreaker is designated by similar referencecharacters accompanied by theafiix a.

The housing which supports the plate 50 supports a distributor head 71carrying a center contact 33 and the stationary contacts or distributorposts 34 which are arranged in a circular row there being sixteen innum-.

her for a sixteen cylinder engine. Since each circuit breaker controlsthe operation of a separate ignition coil to furnish spark plugs foreight of the sixteen engine cylinders, the rotor 32 which is carried bya non-conducting rotor block 72 mounted upon and driven by the cam 28operates to distribute s arking impulses to eight alternate distriv utorposts 34. Hence'only eight of the distributor posts 34 are representedin the diagram shown in Fig. 2. It will be understood that the otherignition coil whichis not shown diagrammatically has its secondarywinding connected by suitable means with a ring contact 7 3 engageableby a brush 74 which is movable with the rotor block 72 and is connectedelectrically with a second conducting segment 32a which serves todistribute spark-- ing impulses generated in the second ignition coil toeight alternate distributor posts 34. The head 71 receives cap or covermembers 75 and 76 which enclose the ends of insulated braided wirecables by which the spark plugs are connected to the distributor posts34 and the ignition coil secondary windings are connected respectivelyto the center contact 33 and the ring cont-act 73.

The housing 7 0 rests upon and is attached to a second housing 80 havinga shank 81 provided with a. bearing 82 for receiving a drive shaft 83,the lower end of which carries a gear 84 by which the timer is connectedwith a gear driven by the engine. The upper endof the shaft carries aweight supporting plate 84 supporting pivot studs 85 each pivotallysupporting a weight plate 86 having an arm 87 engageable with a leverarm 88 fixed to the tubular lower end portion 89 of a cam shaft 90journalled in a bearing 91 provided by the housing 70. The shaft 90 isdetachably connected with the cam 28 for driving the latter. Movement ofeach weight 86 outwardly from the position shown in Fig. 6 is resistedby spring 92 each having one end connected with a pivot post 85 and theother end with a stud 93 attached to an arm 88. It is apparent that whenthe weights 86 move outwardly from the shaft 90 due to increase inspeed. there will be a change in angular relation between plate 84 andarms 88 hence between the drive shaft 83 and the cam shaft 90. Thischange. in angular relation in response to speed changes is used tocontrol the timing of the ignition impulses with respect to the cycle ofengine operation. The weight plate 84 also supports the weight pivotstuds 57 which pivotally support the weights 56 of the speed responsiveswitch operating mechanism shown in Figs. 3 and 4. These posts or studs57 also support the weight plate 51 in the desired position above theweight plate 84 and maintain said plate 51 with its flange 52 coaxialwith the shaft 90. The housing members and 80 cooperate to provide achamber for enclosing both the speed responsive devices of the ignitionapparatus. 1

As explained, the ignition timer and distributor unit provide means forcontrolling alternately the generation of sparking impulses in twoseparate ignition coils. Since there are two regular ignition coils inthe complete system for the sixteen cylinder engine there will of coursebe two booster coils 40 one for each ignition coil. Hence there will betwo booster coil switches. The first of these switches has beendescribed with reference to Fig. 2 and the second switch is also shownin Fig. 1 and has similar reference characters applied thereto with theafiix a. Since there are two booster coil switches to be controlled theswitch operating collar 61 carries two switch operating rods or plungers46 and 46a. It is apparent therefore that the ignition timer has asingle booster coil switch operating mechanism which controls theoperation of both of the boostercoil switches.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as hereindisclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood thatother forms might be adopted. all

coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Ignition apparatus comprising, in combination, an ignition coilhaving a primary winding, an interrupterin series with the primarywinding and including a movable contact and a rotary cam for operatingit, a booster inductive winding, a shaft for driving the cam, speedresponsive means for connecting the shaft and cam and for varying theangular relation betwen them, and a second speed responsive means drivenby the first speed responsive means for rendering the inductivewindingeffective to assist the primary winding.

2. Ignition apparatus comprising in combination, an ignition coil havinga primary winding, an interrupter in series with the primary winding,and including a movable contact and a rotary cam for operating it, abooster inductive winding, a shaft for driving the cam, speed responsivemeans for connecting the shaft and the cam and for varying the angularrelation between them, said speed responsive means including a plate forcarrying centrifugally operated weights and driven by the shaft, and asecond weight plate supported by the first weight plate, centrifugallyoperated weights supported by the second weight plate, and a switchoperated by movement of the weights carried by the second weight platefor rendering the inductive winding effective to assist the primaryWinding.

3. Ignition apparatus comprising, in combination, an ignition coilhaving a primary winding, an interrupter in series with the primarywinding and including a circuit breaker lever and a cam for operatingthe same, a housing for the interrupter and carrying a breaker leversupporting plate, a shaft coaxial with the cam, a weight plate driven bythe shaft, a plurality of weights eccentrically pivotally mountedthereon and each having an arm, arms attached to the cam eachcooperating with a weight arm, springs maintaining saidarms incooperative relation and resisting movement of the weights away from theshaft, a second weight plate attached to the first weight plate, weightseccentrically pivotally supported thereby and each having an arm, alever plate supported by the second weight plate coaxially of the shaftand having arms each cooperating with a weight arm, inclined planemembers provided by the second weight plate and engaged by the arms ofthe lever plate, a booster induction coil, and a switch operated byaxial movement of the lever plate for rendering the booster coiloperative to assist the ignition coil.

4:. Ignition apparatus comprising, in combination, an ignition coilhaving a primary winding, an interrupter in series with the primarywinding and including a circuit breaker lever and a cam for operatingthe same, a housing for the interrupter and carrying a breaker leversupporting plate. a shaft extending through said supporting plate foroperating the interrupter, a booster induction coil, a switch locatedupon the supporting plate on the same side with the interrupter andoperative to render the induction coil operative to assist the ignitioncoil, and

speed responsive means actuated by the shaft on the opposite side of thesupporting plate for controlling the switch.

5. Ignition apparatus comprising, in combination, an ignition coil havina primary winding, an interrupter in series with the primary winding andincluding a circuit breaker lever and a cam for operating the same, ahousing for the interrupter and carrying a breaker lever supportingplate, a shaft extending through said supporting plate for operating theinterrupter, a booster induction coil, a switch located upon thesupporting plate on the same side with the interrupterv and operative torender the induction coil operative to assist the ignition coil, aweight plate carried by the shaft on the opposite side of the support ngplate, weights eccentrically pivotally supported by the weight plate, alever plate supported by the weight plate coaxially of the shaft andhaving arms each cooperatin with a weight arm, inclined plane mem ersprovided by the weight plate and engaged by the arms of the lever plate,and a rod operated by axial movement of the lever plate and extendingthrough the supporting plate for operating the switch.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature. I

HERMAN L. HARTZELL.

